An upset that will take center stage in Warrior and Canadian basketball folklore. The Saturday Stunner on Totzke will be remembered for the Warriors wrapping up their 18th annual Think Pink campaign in style, and Men's Basketball defeating the third seed in the nation, the Western Mustangs, for the first time in over four years.
Men's Basketball: It's Always a Good Day with McRae.
A weekend no Warrior will soon forget. Men's Basketball's homestand kicked off with a duel on Friday night with the Windsor Lancers. After 10 minutes of play, the home side came storming out with a 32-30 lead. Stefan Prica (Etobicoke, Ont.) was automatic from beyond the arc to say the least. His eight-point first quarter consisted of two clutch three-pointers, and a jumper from inside the attacking zone, to shoot a perfect 3-3 from the field. While the Lancers slowly took control of the game themselves, the defensive play of Thach Wal Nger (Cambridge, Ont./) deserves all the credit in the world. Wal Nger finished with a game-high seven rebounds. Despite the 85-80 loss, the Warriors had an opportunity to take victory all the way, with their number six, Isaiah McRae, who has only gone one game this season without scoring double-digit points, delivering once again. His game-high 20 points kept the Lancers on their toes all night. Resilient as ever in defeat, Waterloo still had one more showdown. Little did they know, the team would wake up on Saturday, ending the night as history makers.
The 13-1 Western Mustangs, ranked third in the nation, went the distance with the Laurier Golden Hawks the previous night, defeating the Warriors' cross-town rivals in double overtime. On Think Pink night at Carl Totzke Court, the home side were down 23-14 after one. Although facing the potential of a tough night at the office, the boys in black and gold were not going to go down without a fight. In the second, outscoring the Mustangs 24-19, defence was on full lock. Three rebounds apiece from Prica and Graham VanDonkersgoed (Caledonia, Ont./) led the way in igniting the offensive charge, with Moses Anvari (Ajax, Ont.) netting nine points of his own. Down 42-38 at the half, the boys were back in business.
Second half. Enter Isaiah McRae. The name every fan of U SPORTS basketball has uttered over the past 72 hours. Shooting a near-perfect 4-5 from the field in the third quarter, an assist, 10 points, and two rebounds put the Warriors in history making territory; up 57-56
after 30 minutes of play. The remaining 10 minutes solidified The Saturday Stunner on Totzke into stone. The Mustangs full court press was inevitable and on full display. After being subbed back in with the chance of fouling out to be unlikely, Wal Nger laid it all on the line in the defensive paint, picking up two more rebounds.
Just remember… you don't earn Warriors Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive time of asking for no reason.
With 30 seconds to go in the fourth, McRae lived his moment. A moment that would grace the screens of fans across the country. Already in double coverage in center court, a third…and a fourth Mustang would join the attack. It would be a four-gone conclusion that our ace McRae would loop from the outside in, and work magic. The windmill feed to a wide open Prica was just the finishing touch Waterloo needed. Swish. 10-point lead. Final buzzer. History made. The boys who went into this night, without a win on home court, came out on the other side, defeating the team with the best record in Ontario. After a late two points from the visitors, your Warriors directed the national spotlight upon them, with an astonishing 82-74 victory; in what will go down as one of the greatest moments in Warriors history.
The team will be back in action for another marquee matchup, welcoming the Golden Hawks to Carl Totzke Court, with the Battle of Waterloo crown at stake. Saturday, January 24, 4:00 PM… you know where to be.
Women's Basketball: Westbound Storm
The weekend for Women's Basketball was not defined by the final scores. Facing the second and third seeds in the division, Waterloo welcomed the Lancers to their home court on Friday night. In the first, the Warriors kept close with the second-place Lancers. Kymora Stafford (Toronto, Ont./) was all over the rebounding game, picking up three in the quarter. Alongside her, Jaime Newell (Brussels, Ont./) with three of her own, displaying the Warriors ball control and tenacity at both ends of the floor. The Warriors were only down by three after one. The Lancers' speed around the perimeter and strength in the paint however, proved to cost the home side on this night. With Windsor shooting near fifty percent from the three-point line, their deadly accuracy defined the game. The final was 81-47.
The next evening, the home Warriors looked for redemption. Facing a lightning-quick Mustangs lineup, Waterloo had to counter with their aces. Ghiselle Poblete (Brampton, Ont./), who had demonstrated exceptional speed, communication, and skill all weekend; never surrendered in navigating the Mustangs' backcourt. Through four quarters, her 18 points, 8 rebounds, and five steals gave her squad a chance the whole way. With 10 rebounds from
Newell, the Warriors showed up with another consistently valiant effort, in which the final score spoke very little about the story. In falling 77-63, the home side never gave up for a second, and fought with all their might against two tough rivals. The team will be right back at it this Saturday afternoon, for the Battle of Waterloo. The Golden Hawks will take the trip down University Ave, for a matinee showdown, tipping off at 2:00 PM.
Track & Field: A Hop, Skip, and a Triple Jump
The Warriors Track stars took to the road this weekend to compete in the Don Wright Team Challenge at Western University. Having shown a strong effort especially at the 60-metre range, Gabrielle Bailey and Jordan Neheli-Williams as well as Kyra Chan made the finals for hurdles and the dash respectively; On Saturday, Steven Chung and Isaac Wong would make it a Warriors 2-3 finish in the Men's Triple Jump. In the Women's event, Waterloo would fill the podium. Syiera Stuart would take the victory with a distance of 10.98m. Her teammates Gloria So and Gabrielle Bailey would not finish far behind, with final scores of 10.60m and 10.40m. A sensational final day for the Warriors caps off back-to-back events with sensational placements. The team will return to action to wrap up a successful first month of 2026 at the York Open on January 30 and 31.
Curling: Warriors Take on Welland
Men's and Women's Curling opened their 2026 campaign at the Brock Invitational in Welland, Ont. this past weekend. The Women's team came out of the gate rolling, winning the first three of their round robin matchups in a row. They scored at least eight points in each, defeating Trent 8-5, Ontario Tech 9-1, and falling to Windsor 10-2. Their tournament would sadly come to a close after conceding their final match to Guelph; 6-2. Finishing with a 3-1 record, the team can be proud of keeping tabs with tough opponents such as Ottawa and Queens, who had also finished 3-1 on the tournament.
The Men's side also took back-to-back victories against Trent and Ontario Tech, with 6-3 and 10-4 victories; but had it tough against Windsor, in which the Warriors fell in a 10-8 nailbiter. Their final round robin win against Guelph in a 7-4 contest, clinched the team first place in Pool B, and both black and gold Curling squads a 3-1 record over the weekend.
The OUA Championships are back in Welland on February 6-8.
Volleyball: Restless in the City of Roses
With Women's and Men's Volleyball taking the trip out west on the 401, they hit Windsor, for back-to-back contests with the Lancers. As the Women's action got underway on Friday in the Rose City, A close first set saw the Warriors drop one, 25-20. An even closer second set was only decided by two points. A game high 12 kills for Sydney Batiuk (Prince Albert, Sask./Ecole St. Mary) and three aces from Stella McKenna (Calgary, Alta./Western Canada High School) kept Waterloo close by in the third; a set in which Windsor would take for the victory. The next evening, Batiuk, back at it again, delivered another killer performance; another game high of 10. Samantha Loshusan's (Markham, Ont./Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy) game high 20 digs once again put the Warriors in the right spot to get out of a set as winners. Unfortunately for the visitors, the third seed in the division bested them once again in straight sets for their 11th win of the season out of 14 contests. The team will look to bounce back this weekend, as they continue their road trip, visiting the TMU Bold on Friday and Saturday.
The journey west for Men's Volleyball reflected much of the same; offensive firepower and defensive flare, unfortunately, without a winning result. A game high 11 kills from Daniel Nikashov (Vaughan, Ont./Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School), 35 assists from Cohen Peters (Vancouver, B.C./Pacific Acadamy), and 9 digs from Will McIntyre (Waterloo, Ont./Laurel Heights Secondary School) was not enough to hold off the Lancers on Friday night. Saturday afternoon, and Nikashov and Peters were back to work. Leading the game once again in kills and assists, Windsor's defensive prowess and success off the service ace benefitted them a second time around. Back-to-back defeats in straight sets once again, told very little about compete from the Warriors on the floor; ousting the Lancers in multiple categories across both contests. The group will travel back east this weekend, to take on the TMU Bold in Toronto on Friday and Saturday night.
